Hilton Worldwide today announced honors for its top annual development awards in the Americas. Credit: Hilton Worldwide.

MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton Worldwide today announced honors for its top annual development awards in the Americas. Awards are presented in five categories across the company's portfolio of hotels, including: Developer of the Year, Best Conversion, Deal of the Year, Outstanding Achievement and Lifetime Achievement. Recipients are awarded based on criteria ranging from total number and quality of hotels developed to impact on community and fastest construction time.

"These valuable partners represent the very best of Hilton Worldwide and we are proud to celebrate their accomplishments," said Ian Carter, president, global development, Hilton Worldwide. "With more than 80 percent of our company's hotels franchised, the strong relationships we have forged over the years with our owner partners allow us to continue to provide superior service and innovative products to our guests, while also expanding our footprint not only in the Americas, but globally."

Each full service and focused service brand within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of ten market leading brands honors a Developer of the Year. The awards for 2013 include:

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Jeff Raymond, president and chief executive officer of Raymond Management, and the Raymond Management Group in Madison, Wis. Founded in 1978, Raymond Management develops and manages hotels throughout the U.S.

"We are delighted to honor Jeff and the entire team at Raymond Management with the Lifetime Achievement Award," said Carter. "Jeff has a long-standing relationship with Hilton Worldwide, and his hotels consistently perform in the top echelon of each of their respective brands. His dedication to developing our brands has not gone unnoticed, and we wish to congratulate him on this achievement."

About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,200 properties with more than 856,000 rooms, in 105 countries and territories. Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company by delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time. The company's portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose exactly how many Points to combine with money, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else, and free standard Wi-Fi. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.